No tip booster seat strap

ABSTRACT

A child safety device for preventing a child from tipping a booster seat backwards, incorporates a strap operatively configured to prevent a child from lifting his or her legs high enough to push off a table or counter; and a mounting element to affix the strap to a booster seat, wherein the strap is operatively positioned relative to the legs of the child to thereby prevent the child from lifting his or her legs. The device may also be formed as part of a child booster seat or a high chair.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Provisional Patent Application No. 62/784606, filed Dec. 24, 2018, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

PRIOR ART REVIEWED

A patent search was conducted and revealed the following prior patents and published applications. We have concluded that there do not appear to be any prior inventions that incorporate all the features of the embodiments of our invention.

-   -   U.S. Pat. No. 2,610,670     -   U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,478     -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,623     -   US Publication No. 2005/0156394 A1     -   US Publication No. 2006/0071536 A1     -   US Publication No. 2017/0021849 A1

FIELD OF INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to, preventing injury to a child caused by the child using their feet to push off of a table or counter and tipping the adult chair that a booster seat is attached to backwards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When children are seated in booster seats, they can pull their knees up, push off of a table or counter with their legs, and tip the chair their booster seat is attached to backwards. This is a common accident and can cause serious injury and even death.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), they are aware of a total of 867 incidents related to booster seats (2 fatal, 146 injuries, 719 non-injuries), that were reported to have occurred between Jan. 1, 2008 and Sep. 30, 2016. CPSC has reports of two fatalities associated with the use of a booster seat. In one incident, a 22-month-old female, sitting on a booster seat attached to an adult chair, pushed off from the table and tipped the adult chair backwards into a china cabinet behind her. The cause of death was listed as “exsanguination due to hemorrhage from incised wound.”

The severity of the injury types among the 146 reported injuries were as follows: Four children required a hospital admission. Their injuries were skull fractures, concussions, and other head injuries. Another 22 children were treated and released from a hospital emergency department for injuries resulting mostly from falls.

The remaining incidents primarily involved contusions, abrasions, and lacerations, due to falls or entrapment of limbs/extremities. The remaining 719 non-injury incident reports specified that no injury had occurred or provided no information about any injury. However, many of the descriptions indicated the potential for a serious injury or even death. The booster seat hazards that were identified include restraint/attachment problems, seat-related issues, tray related issues, booster seat design problems, and stability-related issues. Stability-related issues account for 31 (4%) of the reported incidents. Most of these incidents (27 of 31) concerned the adult chair to which the booster seat was attached tipping back or over. Some of these incidents resulted from the child pushing back from the table or counter. Twenty-two injuries (including 2 hospitalizations and 5 emergency department-treated injuries) and one fatality are included in this category.

In April 2018, the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade Committee issued the most recent International Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Booster Seats. This document addresses incidents associated with booster seats that were identified by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Among the identified incidents is stability and tip related hazards. Section E of this document states,

“E. Stability Related Issues

Stability-related incidents included instances where the adult chair to which the booster seat was attached, tipped back or tipped over. Addressing the stability of the booster seat while attached to an adult chair is difficult in a standard for booster seats because stability is dependent on the adult chair. The ASTM booster seat subcommittee and CPSC staff worked diligently to find an effective requirement to adequately address stability without specifying requirements for the adult chair. Although ASTM F2640-17ϵ1 does not contain a performance requirement to address this hazard, it does contain a labeling requirement, whereby booster seats must contain a cautionary statement: ‘Never allow a child to push away from table.’”

Despite the tip hazard, there is currently no standard for the booster seat to prevent a child from tipping the chair. It is unrealistic to assume that a parent or caregiver can prevent a child from pushing away from the table 100% of the time. Children sit in booster seats to eat, do arts and crafts, watch or play on a tablet or computer, etc. It is unrealistic for a parent or caregiver to be next to them and prevent them from pushing away at all times, especially when they have other kids or chores to attend to.

Issues related to booster seat safety are readily apparent online. There are countless blog sites and customer reviews related to booster seat safety. Most describe instances where a child uses his or her legs to push away from a table, causing the chair to tip over and injury to occur. These parents are looking for a way to ensure the safety of their children and express dismay that there are no products or solutions available.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention prevents a child from lifting their legs high enough to push off of a table or counter, thus tipping the chair and potentially causing injury.

The present invention was developed using the following logic: If a child cannot lift their legs up to push off a table or countertop with their feet, they cannot gain enough leverage to tip themselves backwards. The present invention is an adjustable strap that can be added to an existing booster seat or integrated into new booster seat design as a permanent feature. The present invention consists of a single, adjustable, easy to clean strap that is designed to lie across the top of the child's knees or lower thighs. The strap prevents children from lifting their legs high enough to put their feet against a table or countertop. In doing so, the present invention stops a child from using their legs to push off of a table or countertop and tip their chair backwards.

In at least one embodiment, a child safety device for preventing a child from tipping a booster seat backwards according to the present invention incorporates a strap operatively configured to prevent a child from lifting his or her legs high enough to push off a table or counter; and a mounting element to affix the strap to a booster seat, wherein the strap is operatively positioned relative to the legs of the child to thereby prevent the child from lifting his or her legs. In other embodiments, the device may be formed as part of a child booster seat or a high chair.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention as disclosed and claimed herein is illustrated as follows:

FIG. 1 depicts all of the individual components of the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts the present invention as it is attached to a booster seat used on an adult chair;

FIG. 3 depicts a child in a booster seat without the present invention lifting their legs and placing their feet against a table or counter;

FIG. 4 depicts how the present invention will prevent the child's legs from lifting up and placing their feet against a table or counter; and

FIG. 5 depicts the present invention as a permanent feature of the booster seat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention is to help prevent tip related child head injuries that may result when a child is able to raise his/her legs, thus tipping the chair they are in backwards (see FIG. 3). With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the present invention consists of an adjustable strap assembly 100 that prevents a child from lifting their legs high enough to get enough leverage to push off a table or counter. The strap is placed over the child's knees or thighs to restrict them from lifting their legs (see FIG. 4). The strap can be affixed to any booster seat or integrated into the booster seat itself as a permanent feature to prevent a child from lifting his or her legs.

Referring to FIG. 1, the adjustable strap assembly 100 of the present invention consists of two straps 140, buckle 180, slider 160 and two mounting elements 120. Each strap is connected on one side to custom flexible mounting elements 120. As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting elements 120 are affixed to opposite sides of the booster seat using heavy-duty two-sided tape (which allows for removal without damaging the seat). The flexibility of the mounting elements will mold to any curvature the side of a booster seat may have. The two straps 140 will be attached together with the buckle 180. One of the straps will include a slider 160 that can be used to adjust the length so the strap fits tight but comfortably over the child's knees or lower thighs. For installation, a user will only need to attach the mounting elements to opposite sides of the booster seat. The materials that will be used to manufacture the adjustable strap assembly 100 would be selected so as to be easy to clean and water resistant.

With reference to FIG. 5, the present invention may also be integrated into a new booster seat design as a permanent feature. The booster seat design will include the present invention as a built in strap instead of as an attachment 200.

Among the other features of the present invention, the adjustable strap assembly may also be used in restaurant settings. This present invention could also be used for high chairs. Variations of the present invention include a strap that may be recoiled, much like a seatbelt; a strap that is built into the booster seat itself and not attached to the side; and a strap that is connected in some other way to the booster seat. Other variations of the invention may include attributes that are designed for use with a high chair; and the use of different materials for the restriction device, such as a bar instead of a strap.

Although the present invention has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, unless they depart therefrom. 

1. A child safety device for preventing a child from tipping a booster seat backwards, comprising: a strap operatively configured to prevent a child from lifting his or her legs high enough to push off a table or counter; and a mounting element to affix the strap to a booster seat, wherein the strap is operatively positioned relative to the legs of the child to thereby prevent the child from lifting his or her legs.
 2. A child safety device according to claim 1, further comprising: an adjusting element to adjust at least one of a length and a position of the strap.
 3. A child safety device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting element is configured to allow removable attachment of the child safety device to be used on a different seat.
 4. A child safety device according to claim 3, wherein the mounting element is configured to allow removable attachment of the child safety device to be used on a high chair.
 5. A child safety device for preventing a child from tipping a high chair backwards, comprising: a strap operatively configured to prevent a child from lifting his or her legs high enough to push off a table or counter; and a mounting element to affix the strap to a booster seat, wherein the strap is operatively positioned relative to the legs of the child to thereby prevent the child from lifting his or her legs.
 6. A child booster seat having a safety device for preventing a child from tipping the seat backwards, comprising: a strap operatively configured to prevent a child from lifting his or her legs high enough to push off a table or counter; and a mounting element to affix the strap to the seat, wherein the strap is operatively positioned relative to the legs of the child to thereby prevent the child from lifting his or her legs.
 7. A child booster seat according to claim 6, further comprising: an adjusting element to adjust at least one of a length and a position of the strap.
 8. A high chair for a child having a safety device for preventing a child from tipping the seat backwards, comprising: a strap operatively configured to prevent a child from lifting his or her legs high enough to push off a table or counter; and a mounting element to affix the strap to the seat, wherein the strap is operatively positioned relative to the legs of the child to thereby prevent the child from lifting his or her legs.
 9. A high chair for a child according to claim 8, further comprising: an adjusting element to adjust at least one of a length and a position of the strap. 